Picture this: bright and tasty stir-fried vegetables, luscious hard boiled quail eggs, bouncy pieces of chikuwa fish cake, and juicy strips of pork belly, all coated in a thick and savory soup slurry and served atop a bed of thin and crispy noodles. This is sara udon. Originally made popular in the city of Nagasaki, sara udon is a Japanese take on a familiar chinese dish-- crispy chow mein. Translating literally to “plate noodles” sara udon distinguishes itself from other noodle dishes by it’s serving mechanism: a deep-walled plate, rather than a bowl. Sara udon can have a wide variety of toppings. Popular ones include pork belly slices, shrimp, squid, clams, kamaboko fish cakes, quail eggs, onion, carrot, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, snow peas, and wood ear mushrooms.
Our Nagasaki Sara Udon kit makes bringing this lively meal to life surprisingly simple. Each package contains two servings of crispy noodles, and two seasoning packets to take the guesswork out of putting together the sauce. Toppings aren’t included, but fortunately, we carry just about all of the most commonly used ones here on our shelves. Check out the recipe below for a quick and easy guide to making your very own sara udon at home!
Nagasaki Sara Udon
Serves 2
Prep time:15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
1 package Nagasaki Sara Udon Kit
4 oz mugifuji pork belly
1 package chikuwa
6 hard boiled quail eggs
¼ onion
1 medium sized carrot
3 large leaves of napa cabbage/hakusai
1 baby bok choy
½ package bunashimeji mushrooms
1 pinch white pepper (or to taste)
Instructions:
Combine both seasoning packets and 2 ⅓ cups water together in a bowl. Set aside.
Cut the pork belly into 2 inch wide strips, cut the chikuwa into 1 inch chunks, julienne the carrot and onion, cut the bok choy and the napa cabbage into 2 inch squares.
Pull the bunashimeji apart at the roots so that the mushrooms are separated.
In a large wok, heat 1 ½ tbsps of cooking oil over medium heat, then add the pork belly.
Stir fry pork belly until mostly cooked, and then add the onion, napa cabbage, and mushrooms.
Once the onion begins to soften, add the carrot, bok choy, and chikuwa.
After all the ingredients have been evenly coated with oil, add the liquid seasoning and mix well.
Lastly, add the quail eggs, and lower the heat.
Stirring constantly, allow the liquid seasoning to reduce until it begins to thicken to a somewhat creamy consistency. Add white pepper to taste, if desired.
Place each serving of crispy noodles onto a plate, and using the palms of your hands, crush them very slightly.
Pour the cooked toppings on each bed of noodles, and enjoy! Eat quickly if you want crispy noodles, or allow it to sit for a moment before serving for softer ones.